Carolyn Burns
Carolyn Burns is an experienced impact investment and gender-lens technical assistance (TA) practitioner who has spent the bulk of her career supporting economic development projects in based Emerging Markets. Her professional experience includes direct and fund-of-funds investing, designing and operationalizing blended finance initiatives and researching and coaching others on climate and social inclusion mainstreaming activities. She is adept at building non-traditional partnerships (i.e. across government agencies, investment professionals, academics, grassroots and international non-profit organizations etc.), applying finance to strategically solve for social justice-linked challenges and managing the complete project lifecycle. She is energized by researching new systems-level solutions and managing programs which build a more equitable future for everyone, everywhere.
Carolyn has been privileged to have co-created and co-managed innovative financing programs with many of the world’s leading development financiers and TA providers. She is currently supporting the Criterion Institute, a global activist think tank that works with social changemakers to broaden their perspective on how to engage with and shift financial systems through analysis of power and bias. Previously, Carolyn worked with the Equality Fund, the world’s largest feminist platform, Mennonite Economic Development Associates, an economic development organization focused on creating agribusiness solutions to global poverty, Grand Challenges Canada, a global healthcare innovation funder and Sarona Asset Management, an international ESGI focused asset manager.
Carolyn holds an Honours Bachelor of Political Science from Western University and a Master of Science in International Management from the Ivey Business School. She is certified in Responsible Investing Essentials by the UN Principles for Responsible Investing and Fundamentals of Alternative Investments by the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association.
Voting member: Carolyn Burns
Member since 2020